Parliament Concert Blends European and Moroccan Music
Musicians from 12 countries performed at the European Parliament in Brussels in a program promoting intercultural dialogue through music.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Classical
Live Poll
Should your local government fund more cultural events like concerts and festivals?
The European Parliament hosted a concert in Brussels blending European classical works with Arab-Andalusian repertoire and the Hadra of Chefchaouen. The event, titled "Music and Dialogue: One Voice," was jointly organized by the El Akademia association and MEP Sabrina Repp.
Why it matters
The concert was staged to promote music as a vehicle for intercultural dialogue, with speakers highlighting culture as a bridge between peoples. It offers a public example of cross-cultural programming within a major European institution.
Organizers report 34 musicians from 12 countries took part, conducted by Monia Rizkallah, founder of El Akademia. The extraction does not provide audience numbers or any broader comparison to similar events.
The players
Sabrina Repp
A Member of the European Parliament who co-organized the concert with El Akademia.
Katarina Barley
A German politician and Vice-President of the European Parliament who spoke about culture as a bridge between peoples.
Monia Rizkallah
The founder of El Akademia who conducted the 34 musicians at the concert.
The details
The program combined works by Edward Elgar, Ernest Bloch, and Johann Sebastian Bach with Moroccan sounds performed by Abdelmalek Otmani, Hala Bensaid, and female artists from Chefchaouen. Ambassadors Ahmed Reda Chami and Mohamed Ameur attended the Wednesday evening performance.
Timeline
Wednesday evening, the day before November 5, 2026: concert held at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Big Picture
The concert fits within the European Union's cultural diplomacy efforts to promote intercultural dialogue, here extended to Moroccan musical traditions inside a parliamentary venue. It reflects a pattern of using the arts to build ties with North African partners.
Readers interested in attending similar events can watch for announcements from the European Parliament's public programming. The extraction does not indicate that this performance will be repeated or streamed.
The takeaway
Programs like this show how shared musical forms can open conversation across cultural lines. Attention to the people behind such events, including organizers and performers, offers a clearer sense of how intercultural exchange is built.
Further reading
Explore more Classical coverage on Wisevoter for context on how orchestral traditions meet world music.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Yabiladi.
Live Poll
Should your local government fund more cultural events like concerts and festivals?
